Or. Admin. Code § 632-010-0198 - Abandonment, Unlawful Abandonment, Suspension, Well Plugging
(1) Proper
completion and decommission require adequate protection of the environment and
of aesthetic qualities of the surface in the area of operation.
(2) A well is properly completed for the
purposes of this chapter when the permittee demonstrates to the satisfaction of
the department that the well is capable of effective production or reinjection
and appropriate equipment exists for flow testing and monitoring temperature,
pressure or other subsurface conditions.
(3) A well is considered properly plugged and
decommissioned, for the purposes of this chapter, when the conditions of ORS
520.005 to
520.991 and these rules
are fulfilled and the person has shown to the satisfaction of the department
that all proper steps have been taken to protect groundwater and surface water
from contamination resulting from the drilling or drilling related activities
and to prevent the commingling of fluids between zones or to surface.
(4) All holes must be plugged and all related
disturbance must be reclaimed in accordance with these rules as soon as
practical. A hole may not be left unplugged for longer than 30 days from the
completion of drilling operations and prior to completion of the well without
prior written approval from the department.
(5) Suspension: The department may authorize
a permittee to suspend operations or remove equipment from a well for the
period stated in the department's written authorization, upon receipt of a
written request from the permittee showing good cause. The period of suspension
may be extended by the department, upon written request made before expiration
of the previously authorized suspension, accompanied by a statement by the
permittee showing good cause.
(6)
Decommission: Before any work is commenced to decommission a well drilled for
oil or gas, the permittee must give notice to the department of the intention
to decommission such well. If verbal notice is given but plugging is not
planned within 10 days, written notice must also be given within 10 days. The
notice must be given on forms supplied by the department and must contain the
present condition of the well, proposed work, and such other information as
reasonably may be required by the department.
(7) Unlawful Abandonment.
(a) After operations on or at a well have
been suspended with the approval of the department pursuant to section (2) of
this rule, if operations are not resumed within 30 days from the date specified
in the suspension approval, the well is considered unlawfully abandoned unless
the permittee has obtained a written extension from the department. Written
application showing good cause is required for the extension to be
considered.
(b) If a permittee has
not paid the annual permit renewal fee, or any other fees owed, within 60 days
after the anniversary date, the well is considered out of compliance, and the
permittee is subject to enforcement for violation of these rules and the
department may issue an order requiring the permittee to decommission the
well.
(c) If a well is left idle
for a period of 30 consecutive days without a written request for suspended
status, the well is considered unlawfully abandoned.
(d) Upon any unlawful abandonment as defined
in these rules, notice will be sent to the permittee and to the permittee's
surety informing them the department has determined the well unlawfully
abandoned.
(e) Any well unlawfully
abandoned may be plugged, suspended, or otherwise repaired by the department
using the bond or other financial security, and if the bond or other financial
security is not sufficient, the department may bring an action or proceeding as
authorized by ORS
520.175.
(8) Plugging Methods and
Procedure: The methods and procedure for plugging a well are as follows:
(a) Producing strata and strata having fluid
at greater than hydrostatic pressure must be plugged with cement from at least
50 feet below the top of each fluid-bearing zone to at least 50 feet above the
top of each zone;
(b) A cement plug
not less than 100 feet in length must be placed across the base of the
freshwater-bearing strata in an uncased hole;
(c) When there is an open hole below the base
of any open casing, a cement plug not less than 100 feet in length must be
placed to extend at least 50 feet above and at least 50 feet below the base of
the casing; the department may require a pressure test on the casing shoe plug
to document that an adequate seal was achieved.
(d) The top of all casing strings must be cut
off at least 4 feet below ground surface, and casing and all annuli must be
plugged with cement to a depth of at least 10 feet;
(e) The permittee will have the following
options as to the method for placing cement in the hole:
(A) Dump bailer;
(B) Pump through tubing or drill pipe;
or
(C) Other method approved by the
department.
(f) The
interval between plugs must be filled with an approved heavy mud-laden
fluid.
(9) Reclamation
of surface lands affected by these operations is intended to return the surface
to pre-exploration condition and/or beneficial use that is compatible with the
local land use designation for the parcel(s).
(10) Affidavit on completion: Within 60 days
after a well is plugged, the permittee must file a written statement with the
department certifying that the well was properly plugged and
decommissioned.
(11) Wells Used for
Fresh Water:
(a) When an oil or gas well is
proposed to be decommissioned and may safely be used as a freshwater well and
such use is desired by the landowner, the well need not be filled above the
required sealing plug set below fresh water, provided authorization is obtained
from the Oregon Water Resources Department;
(b) Application for leaving a well partially
unplugged as a freshwater well must be submitted to the department by the
landowner, together with evidence of a permit and security from the Oregon
Water Resources Department or its statement that neither a permit nor a bond is
required; and
(c) The permittee
must leave a freshwater well in a condition approved by the
department.
(12) The
surety furnished by permittee may not be released until all procedures required
by these rules have been completed and the department has authorized such
release.
(13) The affected surface
lands must be restored to a pre-exploration and/or beneficial use acceptable to
the department, after consultation with the surface owner. Reclamation
activities may include, but are not limited to replanting or reseeding of
affected land for return to secondary beneficial use that is compatible with
the land-use designation.
Notes
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 520
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 520.095
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